So you’ve decided to invest in a poker chip box to store all your poker chips. Before you get started, whether you build the case yourself or order a custom case from a third party, there are a few things to consider that differentiate a quality poker chip case from a simple wooden case.
SEALS
Woodworking is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood to create furniture, structures, toys, and other items. The characteristics of wooden joints: resistance, flexibility, toughness, etc. – derived from the properties of the joining materials and how they are used in the joints. Therefore, different woodworking techniques are used to meet different requirements. When designing a box of poker chips, you need to consider the weight of the chips, which can approach 50 pounds for a box of 1000 chips. The joints have to be strong or the box will come apart under the weight of the chips.
Most of the prefabricated cases that are bought in the market use a butt joint. A butt joint is a woodworking technique in which two members are joined by simply butting them together. The butt joint is the simplest joint to make as it simply involves cutting the members to the proper length and butting them together. It is also the weakest because unless some type of reinforcement is used it relies only on glue to hold it together. Because the orientation of the members generally presents only the bonding surface of the final fiber to the long fiber, the resulting joint is inherently weak.
When building or ordering a custom chip box, you should avoid butt joints and use something stronger, such as a dovetail joint. A dovetail joint is a joint technique that is frequently used in fine woodworking joinery. Known for its resistance to pulling apart (tensile strength), the dovetail joint is commonly used to join the sides of a drawer to the front. A series of pins cut to extend from the end of one board interlock with a series of tails cut to the end of another board. The pins and tails are trapezoidal in shape. Once glued, a wooden dovetail joint does not require mechanical fasteners.
Another simple and strong joint is the mortise and tenon joint, which has been used for thousands of years by carpenters around the world to join pieces of wood. This is commonly used when the parts are at an angle close to 90 °. Although there are many variations on the theme, the basic idea is that the end of one of the limbs is inserted into a hole cut in the other limb. The end of the first member is called the tenon, and it is usually narrower with respect to the rest of the piece. The hole in the second member is called a mortise. The gasket can be glued, pinned, or shimmed to lock in place.
HARDWARE
The hardware for a box of poker chips must also be durable. There are a variety of hinges and hardware available, but you should avoid a stamped hinge, which is the weakest type of hinge. When building or ordering a custom casing, there are a variety of hinges that you can order.
A full-length piano hinge is a long, narrow hinge that runs the full length of the two surfaces its leaves are attached to. This imparts additional strength to the hinge when using a heavy solid wood top.
Concealed hinges are used for furniture doors (with or without self-closing function and with or without damping systems). They are made up of 2 parts: one part is the cup of the hinge and the arm; the other part is the mounting plate. They are also called Euro / Cup hinges and give a cleaner look to the case.
END UP
One thing to consider when choosing a finish for your wood chip box is to make sure you use polyurethane or a non-soluble varnish that will not stain or seep into your chips. You should avoid any type of oil finish such as tung or Danish oil as these oils can penetrate the clay chips over time.
TRAY SIZE
Most poker chips are 39mm in size, however large denomination chips, as well as chips based on the Paulson Inverted Hat and Cane mold, are 43mm in size. Make sure the chip trays are the right size for the type of chips you have. If you order a custom chip box, be sure to specify the size of your chips.
So when building or designing a custom wooden poker chip box to store your chips, remember to consider the type of gaskets, hinges, and finish used in your box design.
